Absorbent articles, such as disposable diapers, incontinence pads and the like, may be formed by air-laying fibrous materials on a foraminous surface and depositing super-absorbent materials in particulate or powder form across or throughout the fibrous web. The super-absorbent materials may be directed to certain specific areas of the web where fluids may be concentrated to improve the efficiency of containing and absorbing such fluids. It may be desirable to closely control the application of the super-absorbent materials to localized areas of the web where they may encounter liquids due to their relatively higher cost.
Diapers and like absorbent pads may be manufactured at very high production rates, for instance, 200 to 2000 units per minute. In addition, specific patterns of desired absorbency may vary in shape and location depending on the size and intended use of the absorbent pad.
It is thus desirable to provide a particulate metering assembly that has the ability to direct particles in a specific pattern to a specific area in an intermittent fashion, and to do so at a relatively rapid pace.
Super-absorbent particles are generally comprising an outer shell and inner core. Performance of said materials can be negatively impacted due to excessive handling if the outer shell is compromised. Therefore, it is advantageous to provide a particulate metering assembly that uses all the material supplied to it and does not rely on recirculating a portion of unused material.